Section outline

  • LESSON 9 - ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOUNDATIONS FOR BROADENING CULTURAL HORIZONS

    Stereotype Validator

    In this hands-on activity, you are invited to work directly with biases in generative language models using a stereotype validation tool. The core premise is to formulate pairs of sentences or questions that differ by only one element (such as gender, nationality, profession, or any other social attribute) and observe how the AI responds in each case. By comparing the responses, you can detect whether the model assigns better results to one variant over another, revealing implicit associations or prejudices in its outputs.

    The purpose is not to "prove that AI is good or bad," but to develop a critical view that allows you to identify stereotyped patterns in model outputs and reflect on their potential effects in educational and social contexts. The activity encourages recording the observed differences, discussing them with peers, and reflecting on how these biases can influence the way we use and teach with AI.



    👨‍🏫 Instructor: Pietro Palombini

    • Stereotype Validator URL

    • Assignment: Stereotype Validator in EDIA

      This guide explains how to use the Stereotype Validator on the EDIA platform. It contains a basic overview of the interface; for a deeper understanding of how to use the tool, watching the available instructional video is strongly recommended. Access the EDIA tool to start the activity: https://edia.ngrok.app/

      Guide

      This guide explains how to use the Stereotype Validator on the EDIA platform. It contains a basic overview of the interface; for a deeper understanding of how to use the tool, watching the available instructional video is strongly recommended.

      1. Personal Data and Informed Consent

      • Upon accessing the validator, you will first find a form to fill out your personal information and accept the informed consent form to proceed with the activity.
      • Select the interface language—that is, the language in which the page and general instructions will be displayed.
      • Check the languages you understand (reading and writing). You may select several, keeping in mind that activity data may appear in any of your selected languages.
      • Enter your email address.
      • Select one or more nationalities that represent your cultural, personal, or national identity. Optionally, you can also select one or more specific regions or type them manually if they do not appear on the list.
      • Finally, read the informed consent form regarding data usage for the EDIA tool and, if you agree, accept it to continue.

      2. Using the Stereotype Validator

      Once the first section is completed, access to the main activity will be enabled.

      This tool is designed to explore how stereotypes are perceived across different regions of the world. Each time you submit a response, you will receive a new data prompt.

      In each round, a nationality and an attribute will be displayed. Your task is to:

      1. Indicate the degree of association between the nationality and the attribute in your region, using a scale from 1 to 5:
        • 1: Strongly disagree
        • 5: Strongly agree
      2. (Optional) You can write another attribute that you associate with the given nationality. This attribute can be in any of the languages you selected at the beginning. Writing in different languages is encouraged whenever possible.
      3. (Optional) You can also add other nationalities or regions that, in your opinion, are associated with the presented attribute.

      When you have completed the necessary fields, click the Submit button to receive a new nationality–attribute pair, which may appear in one of your selected languages.

      If you do not understand the displayed pair, notice an error in the data, or do not feel comfortable annotating that specific pair, you can click the Skip button to move on to the next one.